MRT needs tender loving care

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 29: Passengers enter a Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) subway on June 29, 2017 in New York City. Following a series of breakdowns, delays and political fingerpointing, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has declared a state of emergency for the subway system on Thursday and said he would sign an executive order to accelerate efforts to improve service. Spencer Platt/Getty Images/AFP== FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

INTENSE debate exploded in social media after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak reportedly said that someone told him our (Sungai Buloh-Kajang) MRT line is better than the New York City Subway and London Underground. His political nemeses definitely are not going to agree with this bold statement and neither would those Malaysians who think the West is the best at everything.

As someone who is currently living a stone’s throw away from New York City, I can vouch for the Prime Minister – at least for now. While it is not fair to compare our newly-launched MRT with the 113-year-old NYC Subway, it is also not right to ridicule the PM’s statement because of differences in political ideology or just because it came from him. Credit must be given when it’s due.